Runaway gritter gives garden a whole new look

A RUNAWAY gritter hit black ice, skidded down a hill and crashed into the garden of an Inverness home.

Audrey Barnett, 40, was woken by a loud noise on Tuesday morning and found the vehicle embedded in the front garden of her home.

The gritter’s crew was unhurt, although a neighbour’s car was also damaged in the crash.

“I heard a loud bang, and thought, this sounds close. I looked out of the window and there was a snow plough sitting in my garden,” Mrs Barnett said. “It had bashed into my next door neighbour’s car, then through the dividing fence and completely taken out the top half of my garden.

“I could see two shocked men in the plough. They opened the doors, and the driver got out and fell on the ice before they came over.”

Having offered what help they could and given Mrs Barnett a council phone number to ring, the men then reversed the vehicle and left. Highland Council officials visited her house on Tuesday and confirmed they would rebuild the garden and foot the bill.

A council spokesman said: “We deeply regret the accidental damage caused in this incident when our gritter skidded on the black ice. The damage to the garden will be made good.”